Best Photos from Isla Isabela, Galapagos Islands

Isabela is a beautiful name for a beautiful island. In fact, the Spanish name is so much nicer than its British counterpart, Albemarle, that hardly anyone refers to the island by its colonial designation.

Visiting the island of Isabela is a little more complicated than just flying in. Although there is a small runway, it accommodates the smallest of planes and visitors may only bring bags weighing no more than 10 kilos aboard. Therefore, most tourists arrive on one of the daily boats that departing from the larger, more populated Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz.

These photos were taken on two different trips to Isabela. One was a day trip from Santa Cruz Island which I don’t recommend. We spent two hours in the early morning on a wind-tossed boat crossing. One of us was slightly seasick (can you see me raising my hand?). With only a couple of hours to tour an island, seasickness be damned. We had the quick and dirty tour that included a visit to Las Tintoreras, a small island outcropping of volcanic rock that is home to Blue-footed Boobies, Galapagos Penguins, and Marine Iguanas. A quick trip to the Tortoise Hatchery, a lunch, and we were back on the boat returning to Santa Cruz. My poor stomach.

Isabela is an island full of opportunity for those who want to explore but with quiet beaches in walking distance to many of the small, family-run hotels, it is also a quiet oasis compared to much of the Galapagos Islands.

About The Author

Angie is a freelance writer and photographer who can't get enough of South America. The lesser-known the destination, the more she wants to go. She is currently living on the road in Ecuador.

2 Comments

BinA
on April 15, 2018 at 3:32 pm

Would love to know where you stayed and any further recommendations for land tours as my son and I will be navigating the islands on our own. How many to stay on each? Where to stay? Where to eat as we are vegetarians? How much money to carry? And what to pack. Would love to hear your recommendations. Thanks in advance.